Independent Rising Damp & Penetrating Damp Surveys
Diagnosing the real cause — because most 'rising damp' isn't rising damp at all.
Of Irish homeowners who call us convinced they have rising damp turn out to have something else entirely.
What most people get wrong about damp
Tide line on the wall = rising damp
More often: condensation, bridged DPC or external defect.
All damp specialists give honest diagnoses
Many sell DPC injection as the default fix. We sell surveys.
DPC injection always solves it
Only useful where rising damp is genuinely confirmed by quote.
A 90-second meter reading is a quote
A real quote takes 2 hours and uses 4 instruments.
An independent diagnosis, not a sales pitch
Eight out of ten Irish homeowners who call us convinced they have rising damp turn out to have something else — penetrating damp from a cracked render, condensation in a retrofitted home, a bridged DPC where ground levels have crept up, or a slow plumbing leak behind a kitchen unit. Misdiagnosis is expensive: injecting a damp-proof course into a wall that actually has condensation will not stop the damp and can cost €5,000+ in unnecessary work, plastering and re-decoration.
An independent quote saves money. Our CSDB-certified surveyors arrive with a calibrated Protimeter Surveymaster, a thermo-hygrometer, an infrared thermal camera and a borescope. We diagnose the actual cause, grade severity, and price each remedial element separately so you can prioritise. We do not, will not, and have never sold a treatment we did not believe was necessary.
The cost of getting damp wrong
The classic mis-sell is straightforward: a homeowner sees a tide line on a wall, a 'damp specialist' arrives, runs an unreferenced moisture meter for 90 seconds, declares 'rising damp', quotes for chemical DPC injection plus replastering. The damp returns within a year because the actual cause — usually condensation or a bridged DPC — was never addressed. The homeowner has paid €5,000 and still has damp.
The opposite mistake is also common: a real rising damp problem dismissed as 'just condensation' because the surveyor was inexperienced. By the time the right diagnosis is made, plaster has had to be replaced anyway and floor joist ends are starting to wet-rot. An independent, properly equipped quote costs €350 and ends both of those problems on day one.
Six common symptoms — and what they probably mean
A symptom isn't a diagnosis. These are the everyday clues that move a quote one way or the other.
Tide line 0.5–1.2 m above floor
A clear horizontal damp line at this height is the classic rising damp signature — but check ground levels outside first.
Salt band below the tide line
Fluffy white deposit (calcium nitrate / chloride salts) just below the damp line — almost certain rising damp.
Damp worst in corners and on cold walls
More likely condensation than rising damp — especially behind wardrobes or on north-facing walls.
Black mould around windows
A condensation symptom, not a rising damp symptom — treat with ventilation, not DPC injection.
Damp patches that come and go with weather
Penetrating damp from external defects — cracked render, failed pointing, blocked cavity weep holes.
Localised damp behind a unit or appliance
Almost always a plumbing leak — the cheapest possible cause to fix, but only if it's actually diagnosed correctly.
A real damp quote takes two hours
Four instruments, every wall mapped, written report within five working days. Solicitor- and lender-friendly format.
- 1
Visual & external inspection
We walk the property externally first — ground levels, render condition, gutters, downpipes, weep holes, paving. Most damp diagnoses are made outside before any meter comes out of the case.
- 2
Calibrated Protimeter quote
Moisture content mapped at 150 mm vertical intervals across every affected wall, with carbide-bulb test where deep readings are needed for definitive evidence.
- 3
Thermal imaging & relative humidity
Infrared camera identifies cold spots that drive condensation. Room-by-room relative humidity readings establish whether ventilation is the dominant cause.
- 4
Borescope inspection
Where cavity walls are present, a borescope confirms whether the cavity is clear, partially blocked, or fully bridged by mortar droppings or fill material.
- 5
Written report within 5 days
You receive a numbered report identifying each cause, grading severity (1–4), pricing each remedial element separately, and recommending priority order. Solicitor- and mortgage-lender-friendly format.
- 6
Chemical DPC injection (only if needed)
Where rising damp is genuinely confirmed: 12 mm holes at 120 mm centres along the mortar bed, BS 6576-compliant thixotropic siloxane cream injection.
- 7
Salt-resistant renovation plaster
The lower 1.2 m of plaster is replaced with a PCA-specification sand/cement/SBR/waterproofer mix to lock in any residual hygroscopic salts.
€5,400 'DPC injection' quote replaced with a €240 cavity-tray repair
A homeowner in Naas had been quoted €5,400 by another firm for chemical DPC injection and full ground-floor replastering of two walls. We surveyed independently for €350: the actual cause was a bridged cavity above a 1990s extension where mortar droppings were channelling rainwater across the cavity to the inner leaf. A local mason cleared the cavity from the outside, repointed the bridge, and the damp dried out completely over four months. Total cost: €240 plus our quote fee. The homeowner kept €4,800.
An independent quote is €350–€450 depending on property size and complexity, fixed in advance with no extras. Chemical DPC injection (where genuinely needed) typically runs €120–€180 per linear metre of treated wall, plus replastering at €60–€90 per m². Most domestic schemes total €2,500–€6,500. We never recommend DPC injection unless the quote shows it's the right answer.
Why Enviroteck for a damp quote
Independent — we sell surveys, not panic
The quote is our paid service. Treatment recommendations follow the evidence, not a sales target.
CSDB + RICS available
Property Care Association Certificated Surveyor in Dampness in Buildings; a RICS member surveyor is on call when a mortgage lender or solicitor specifies one.
Mortgage-lender-friendly reports
Numbered, photographed, dated and graded — exactly what banks and solicitors need for retention release.
Insurance-backed work
DPC injection work is insurance-backed by GPI and transferable to any future owner of the property.
Most-requested counties for damp quote
Also serving across Leinster
Pair a quote with
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Learn moreTwelve questions on damp in Irish homes
Speak to a damp quote specialist
Free on-site quote · written quote within 48 hours · no obligation. Most enquiries are returned within one working hour.